Location: Savanna Bay, Virgin Gorda
We started off the day pleasantly surprised that all eleven of us had finally adapted to the temperatures of boat life at night and actually got sleep. Well rested and sprawled out on hammocks all over the boat, we feasted on bagels and yogurt that the chefs so generously pulled out of the kitchen for us. We then put on our work clothes and joined the other two Go Beyond boats at the docks of Virgin Gorda to embark on our first official service project of the trip. We walked to the first school that we planned to add a greenhouse too and sent some of our group to two other schools to begin digging the foundations for a swing set and a garden cover. The schools were covered in chickens and chicks that kept all of us entertained while tirelessly working, (they stole my peanuts). I also found myself spending so much time staring at the giant lizards on the property instead of focusing on the holes I was in charge of digging that required me digging through concrete. We spent hours building the structures and going through cooler after cooler of water, yet everyone was in high spirits because we were surrounded by the best company making the biggest difference we could make to the community.
We took a pizza break and then continued to watch the chicks walk in circles, I mean… got back to work. By the end of the day, I was honestly disappointed that we had to stop because I didn’t want to have to stop all the wonderful work my group was doing. When I finally stopped and took a step back, I saw the immense change of the schoolyard that had gradually formed throughout the day. It’s amazing how your small project can come together with all the other jobs being done by all your amazing peers and how, once combined, they can somehow change an entire school. From the fresh coat of paint to the weeds gone from the garden, everyone was happy with the job we did. We got back to the boat and washed all the dirt off of our bodies in the ocean. For dinner was chili, and for our great work today, we got rewarded with brownies (that I have been asking for three days). I can’t wait to finish the structures tomorrow and make my t-shirt tan even worse. We measure a job well done by the intensity of our bad tan lines. Now we get to go to bed and sleep in our weird sack blankets.